Square pattern irrigation sprinkling device



p 3, 19'70 c. EERKENS 3,528,093

SQUARE PATTERN IRRIGATION SPRINKLING DEVICE Filed Jan. 5, 1968 III b as 22 g 54,

"l H I! M4 Z Z INVENTOR. CORNELIS EERKENs United States Patent Office 3,528,093 Patented Sept. 8, 1970 3,528,093- SQUARE PATTERN IRRIGATION SPRINKLING DEVICE Cornelis Eerkens, 147-07 Charter Road, Jamaica, N.Y. 11435 Filed Jan. 3, 1968, Ser. No. 695,437 Int. Cl. Bb 3/00 US. Cl. 239-97 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rotary sprinkler, which would otherwise distribute water in a circular pattern, is provided with a cam mechanism which alters the pattern from a circular area to a square area. Other configurations besides the square can be obtained if desired.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In agriculture practices, water consumption or usage is an economic factor and desirably should be minimized to avoid waste. When circular sprinklers are used, in order to avoid dry spots, there must be overlaps. Such overlapping Wastes water and, in addition, plant production in the overlapped areas is reduced relative to the regularly watered areas because of insufficient soil aeration. My invention eliminates overlap, thus minimizing waste of water and enhancing plant production.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In my sprinkler, a vertical hollow shaft having a feed tube extending inclinedly upwards therefrom is caused to rotate about its own axis by water pressure in conventional manner. The end of the tube has a discharge nozzle. Water is fed through the shaft and tube out of the nozzle. A horizontal square shaped cam is secured to a stationary portion of the sprinkler.

I install a water flow valve in the tube and connect this valve via a cam follower which rotates with the shaft to the cam. As the follower rides on the cam; the water flow through the valve is controlled to produce the square pattern. By using a cam of other configuration, the pattern can be varied accordingly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating the sprinkling pattern obtained in my invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of my sprinkler;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the valve assembly;

FIG. 4 is a view of some of the parts of the valve, and

FIG. 5 is a view through 5-5 in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, my sprinklers identified generally at produce a square watering pattern 12 rather than the conventional circular pattern 14. The cams are shown at 34. The sprinklers rotate at the same rate but maintain different fixed positions to produce the aligned but non overlapping square patterns shown.

Each sprinkler has a conventional housing 32 with a vertical hollow rotatable shaft 16 with an outwardly and upwardly extending hollow having a discharge nozzle 21 at the outer end. Water is fed under pressure to the bottom end of a hollow fixed nonrotatable bottom section 36 connected via bearing 38 to the shaft and passes therethrough and through the tube to cause the shaft to rotate about its axis.

More particularly, as shoon as the jet touches housing 32, it is thrown away, thus winding up spring 40. The spring tension so generated pushes the housing back, where the jet pushes the housing away. This jerky motion is repeated indefinitely, thus using indirectly the water jet pressure for jerky rotation.

Tube 18 has a bottom opening or slot 20. A hollow cylinder 22 open at both ends is disposed in the tube so that the water flows therethrough. Cylinder 22 has an opening 24 aligned with slot 20. A flexible hollow sleeve 26 is disposed around cylinder 22.

A cam follower has an elongated member 28 pivotally secured at one end to slot 20 with an offset arm 30 movable into and out of engagement with that portion 26A of the sleeve which overlies opening 24. The cam follower is rotated as the shaft is rotated.

The other end of member 28 rides against the periphery of the stationary square shaped horizontal cam 34. During rotation, arm 30 moves up and down against portion 26A to constrict the flow of water through the nozzle in a variable manner controlled by the shape of the cam whereby the desired spray pattern is obtained.

By varying the shape of the cam, the spray pattern can be varied accordingly.

The flexible hollow sleeve can be easily replaced by screwing out the nozzle 21 and then taking out the cylinder 22.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to the drawings, my protection is to be limited only by the terms of the claims which follow.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a water sprinkler comprising:

a vertical hollow rotatable shaft;

a vertical stationary section supporting said shaft;

a hollow feed tube secured at one end to said shaft and communicating therewith, the other end of said tube terminating in a nozzle;

a valve disposed in said tube and mechanically controllable to vary the flow of water which passes upward through the shaft and outward through the tube and nozzle;

a nozzle screwed in the outward opening of said tube;

a horizontal cam secured to said section and extending peripheral therefrom and a cam follower riding on said cam and connected to said valve to control the waterfiow in accordance with the horizontal peripheral contour of the cam; said follower rotating with said shaft; the improvement comprising:

a sprinkler as set forth above wherein said valve includes a hollow cylinder open at both ends with a slot in the cylinder wall and a flexible sleeve open at both ends and concentrically 4 disposed about the cylinder, covering the slot References Cited and engaging in said tube whilst fixed by said UNITED STATES PATENTS nozzle, said fiow being controlled by moving the portion of the sleeve covering the slot with 2,712,323 7/1955 Snyder at 2519 X a variable degree of penetration into the cylin- 2,780,488 2/1957 Kefmedy 239 97 0 3,428,256 2/1969 Painter 239236 X der.

2. A sprinkler as set forth in claim 1 wherein said tube has a slot aligned with the cylinder slot, said ALLEN KNOWLES Pnmary Examiner cylinder slot having a larger opening than said tube slot, Ass n EXamin r said follower having an arm engaged in the tube slot and 10 movable into engagement With sleeve portion to control said degree of penetration. 239222.15, 232, 236, 546; 251-9 

